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Highperch
The lands of Highperch have seen times both prosperous and tragic. Overseen by the noble House of Ravenbough under Lord Felonarias and his sons, Sev'ranesh, Var'thalan, and Cam'naris, the family has managed to make the most of their fortune despite suffering such grievous losses by the hands of the scourge. With their land situated right in between The Dawnspire and Sundial Anchorage, Highperch has seen a great deal of prosperity over the centuries House Ravenbough has remained as caretaker. People within Highperch have long been known for their skill in raising and breeding high quality Thalassian stallions, most typically used as destriers for all manner of military within Quel'Thalas. Felonarias himself is a skilled cavalryman, a skill that has been passed down to his sons; they remain fierce dragoons, despite their contingent having withered greatly since the Third War. Highperch has seen growth as of late, largely due to their renewed pact with the House of Truefeather. Not only did the late Felthier Truefeather agree to supply masons set upon reconstructing broken portions of Highperch still in disrepair from the Third War, but provided Felonarias a contingent of soldiers to be trained on horseback. Soldiers and civilians alike have traveled inward from Sundial Anchorage, but the House of Ravenbough remains cautious when it comes to permanent inhabitants of their long-time home. With the passing of the Dawnspire's residing leader, Felthier Truefeather, Felonarias has offered his family's continued support. A once holy sanctum cleared out by a combined effort of Felonarias' men and a contingent of soldiers led by Telchis Truefeather has finished reconstruction, and Felonarias himself has declared it be renamed Truefeather Sanctum in honor of their allies and friends. Notable Locations The Ravenbough Manor and noble seat of Highperch is set against a high cliffside and range of mountains, making it impossible to approach at one side. It is a tactically advantageous location, but has kept the family quite isolated over the years - should anyone wish to travel to Highperch within the Dawnspire, they must go around these mountains toward the Sundial Anchorage before turning around. Ravenbough Manor is a stylish estate of old stone walls and winding gardens, but its most notable structure is the great stables that some say is equal in size to the manse. It’s said that a hundred horses can be stabled here and only the finest hands tend to these powerful steeds. The manse is designed in true Thalassian fashion, with tall white stone walls that give way to vaulted ceilings and long halls of carved hearths. Brilliant stone stallions line the walls, and black and violet banners wrap about their manes. Long have the children of House Ravenbough ran through these halls, and will continue to do so for future generations. The Truefeather Sanctum lies to the north of Highperch’s seat, pinched between a patch of woodlands and a beautiful lake. Once named the Violetwood Citadel in honor of the House of Violetwood, an old ally of the Ravenboughs and long-time inhabitants of Highperch, the ancient structure was encroached upon during the fall of Quel'Thalas. The Ravenboughs and their allies made their stand at the old landmark and repelled their enemies, but the structure itself had become desecrated and left in disrepair long after the attack had subsided. Felonarias eventually compelled the House of Truefeather to send ranks of the Sunguard to Highperch and help once more repel the undead in order to finally retake the citadel once and for all. After a force led by Telchis Truefeather took the ruins back, Felonarias commenced the process of having the landmark rebuilt. Upon hearing of the Archon’s death in Northrend, Felonarias renamed the structure to the Truefeather Sanctum in order to honor his old ally, Felthier Truefeather. To the south, close to the cliffside, is an ancient underground tomb and mausoleum where the Ravenbough family have kept their fallen members for centuries known as the Ravenbough Crypt. The halls are gilded in violet and black banners and covered in old statues depicting members of the Ravenbough family now long gone, though remembered in the annals of their history. Within the House of Ravenbough’s history it is claimed that the crypt itself was first dug by the original patriarch of the noble line, Celarin Ravenbough, after requiring a safe place to bury his late wife and son. It is rumored that the underground crypt serves as a secret passage through the high mountainside of Highperch, used as a shortcut into their lands by those trusted enough to have been gifted the knowledge of the hidden path. Beyond the few that are aware of this passage, all other inhabitants and guests of Highperch must navigate around the mountainside and water toward the Sundial Anchorage and turn back around in order to enter Highperch proper. A great deal of civilians still call these lands their home, and the Province of Highperch itself is located right in the center of it all. The small town contains near two thousand inhabitants, and is fully equipped with trading posts of all varieties and several taverns that newcomers and strangers may call home for the night. The land is fertile, and there are many civilians that lay claim to farmland along the rolling hills of Highperch - many homes dot the landscape from left to right, but the town proper remains right in the center of everything. To the north of the province remains the Embersorrow Ruins, a sober reminder of less fortuitous times. Though the Ravenbough family lord over the lands of Highperch, there are several smaller lines of nobility that called the land their home - one of them was the House of Embersorrow, led by their last patriach, Solian Embersorrow. The family had carved a niche in Highperch, using the mountainside behind their manse to create an expansive mining company that brought in a great deal of profit. During the scourge incursion, however, the more resilient of the undead ranks found the many mining tunnels that traveled through the mountainside and ambushed the Embersorrow family. They were all but wiped out before their noble allies in Highperch could rally their swords to their cause. The mountainside and the woodlands surrounding it still remain blighted, though now with the Truefeather Sanctum completed, Felonarias and his people set their sights on retaking the land in order to finally claim Highperch as whole once more. Telchis Truefeather has declared that Felonarias may name those suitable as a Knight of the Dawnspire, and the Warden of Highperch may look at this as an opportunity for an individual or family to stand up and claim their own form of glory. Among the Ravenboughs’ longtime allies, House Highfury has called Highperch their home for centuries and live within the Highfury Keep. Due to the scourge incursion upon their noble allies to the left, however, House Highfury took considerable damage in the process, wiping out all but two of their family members - including their last known patriarch, Raethalis Highfury. Raethalis’ two sons, Dretharius and Rahsaen, had abandoned the idea of reclaiming their nobility until Dretharius’ recent return from war abroad. With the Ravenbough’s staunch support of the Sunguard, both Highfury brothers have sworn their oath, and Var'thalan Ravenbough has put in motion a plan to have a barracks built not far from the Highfury home in order to house and train new soldiers. Though the two brothers do not consider themselves nobility still, an idea has been placed in Dretharius’ mind that he may need to step up once more and take the mantle that Raethalis once proudly wore. Entrenched in deep woodlands, the Court of Feathers is a testament to the people that have inhabited Highperch for centuries now. Not only is the area a beautiful display that serves as a sprawling garden and courtyard, but also located there are several mausoleums that hold many familial lines both noble and common that once called Highperch their home. The Ravenboughs, and Felonarias in particular, come from a very religious line of people. Every fall there is a week-long series of events that take place in the Highperch Township, culminating in a trek to the Court of Feathers so that homage can be paid to those that have given their lives so that Highperch, and the people of Quel’Thalas, may remain prosperous. The two paths that shape the court are the most common way of exiting or entering the lands of Highperch - each path leads through rolling hills and farmlands before the land transforms into a series of forests known as the Whispering Glade. Though the paths grow winding, they eventually lead to the city known as the Sundial Anchorage and Rainhall, the ancestral seat of the defunct House of Rainwood. To the very south of Highperch’s lands, set against the dwindling mountainside, remains an old manse known as The Raven’s Nest.''' '''This small estate was once home to Felonarias’ younger brother, Vytharon Ravenbough. The two had never quite seen eye-to-eye for what felt like their entire existence - once Vytharon was of age, he eventually gathered the means to have his own manse built so that he would not have a need to live in the Highperch Manor with the rest of his remaining family. Though Felonarias and Vytharon were often at odds with one another, Felonarias held a great deal of respect for his kin - there is a striking resemblance between the name Vytharon and the name of Felonarias’ second son, Var'thalan, and many have concluded that he was named in honor of Felonarias’ enigmatic brother. Though Vytharon grew to love Felonarias’ sons, he did not share that same bond with Felonarias himself - it was even rumored that Vytharon would eventually try and usurp his older brother, but never quite had the respect of the people in Highperch in order to gather the men and means to do so. Upon his disappearance after the Fall of Quel'Thalas, it was written in Vytharon’s will that his estate would be left to Felonarias’ second son. Once of age, both Var'thalan and his younger brother, Cam'naris, moved out of the Highperch Manse and claimed The Raven’s Nest as their home.Category:Places Category:Quel'Thalas Locations